Filing-cabinet.



,600. i PATENTED AUG. 8, 1905. E. MOLANE, W. C. MORRON, C. F. BRIGGS & H. H. WRIGHT.

FILING CABINET.

APPLIGATION FILED Nov 26, 1904.

V2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

MMV,

Inventor.

ttomegs PATENIED AUG. 8, 1905.

No. 796,600.q

E. MOLANE, W. G. MORRON, C. F. BRIGGS & H. H. WRIGHT.

FILING CABINET.

APPLIoATIoN FILED Novs 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fl LH f|||||| I [I fifi/1 s e s s e n UNITED STATES EBEN MCLANE, WILLIAM C. MORRON, CHARLES F. BRIGGS,

WRIGHT, OF LISBON, OHIO.

PATENT onirica.

AND HAL H.

FILING-CABINET.

'specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A-ug. 8, 1905.

Application iiled November 26, 1904. Serial bioA 234,422.

.biana and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Filing-Cabinet, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to filing-cabinets, and

has for its object to provide an improved arrangement of iile boxes or receptacles within 'a single case or cabinet adapted for containing loose leaves, such as charge-slips and the y like, and capable of being readily placed within and drawn out of the case or cabinet to give access to the individual file-boxes without entirely removing the same from the cabinet.

A further object of the invention is to pro- .vide for subdividing the individual file boxes or receptacles into a series of compartments for containing the loose leaves and arranged to clearly exhibit the name portion of the outermost slip Within each pocket and when ,the deV1ce is used for charge-slips or bills to exhibit the total of the account upon the outermost charge-slip without necessitating the rev moval thereof from the box or receptacle.

A still furtherobject of the invention is to provide each box or receptacle with compartwithout marring the latter in any mannerA whatsoever.

With these and other objects in View the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accom panying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it beingunderstood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claimswithout departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

Y back to expose one side thereof.-

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a filing-cabinetembodying the features of the present invention, the door of the cabinet being open and one of the boxes or receptacles drawn out and swung Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail longitudinal sectional View of one of the filing boxes or receptacles. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional elevation illustrating the slidable and hinged connection between one of the filing boxes or receptacles and the body of the cabinet. Figli is an enlarged detail sectional View taken through the index member of the device. Fig. 5 is a detail View of one of the index-slips. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail fragmentary sectional views illustrating another 'embodiment of the slidable and hinged connection between one of v the filing boxes or receptacles and thebody of the cabinet.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each and every ligure of thedrawings. v

The present device includes a substantially rectangular case or cabinet I, which is open at its front only, and said front is capable of being closed, by a hinged door 2. In the under side of the top end of the cabinet there is provided a series of parallel guideways 3, preferably in the nature of grooves, extending from the front to the back of the cabinet and intersecting the front edge thereof, there being corresponding grooves 4f in the upper side of the bottom end of the cabinet.

Housed between the cabinet and movable through the open front thereof is a series of filing boxes or receptacles, (designated in general by the reference character 5,) said boxes corresponding in number to the number of the grooves or guideways at each end of the cabinet. Each box or receptacle is substantially rectangular in shape and is divided longitudinally by an upright partition 6, extending from the top to the bottom and from the front to the back of the receptacle and producing opposite longitudinal compartments To give access to against the inner end of the pin.

the entire width of the pocket and having intermediate corresponding upper and lower extensions 10 and l1 to accommodate the thumb and lingers of the hand when introducing and removing loose leaves, one of which has been'indicated at 12 inthe pocket or receptacle, (numbered 224 in Fig. 1 of the draw-v is an opening 13. designed to exhibit the total upon the outermost charge-slip in the pocket, which is a very important feature. and material advantage of the present filing-cabinet, as it is not necessary to entirely remove the slips to determine the total charge. Upon the top edge of each box or receptacle there is a'longitudinal tongue or rib 14, extending from the front to the back of the receptacle and located midway between its sides, there beingv a similar tongue or rib 15 upon the bottom of the receptacle, said tonguesbeing arranged to work in corresponding grooves 3 and 4, so as to Aguide the box oneceptacle in its -movement into and out of the cabinet. This tongue-and -groove slidable connection between each box and the cabinet maintains the several boxes independent of one another in order that any individual box may be drawn out without disturbing any of the other boxes, each box being provided upon its front edge with a drop ring or handle 16 for convenience inv drawing out the box.

In addition to the slidable movement it is also designed to permit of a swinging movement of each box or receptacle, and this is accomplished by means of upper and lower duplicate hinges. One member 17 of each hinge is secured to the back edge of the box or receptacle, while the other. members 18 of the two hinges are connected by a rod or bar 19, the box or receptacle capable of being swung upon the vertical axis aiforded by the pintles 20 of the upper and lower hinges. The member 19 is preferably tubular or at least provided at each end with a longitudinal socket for the reception of an endwise-movable pin 21, yieldably projected through the outer end of the socket by means of a spring 22, (best Shown in Fig. Sof the drawings,) housed within the socket of the member and bearing end of the pin runs in the adjacent groove of the cabinet, said groove being provided near its front end with a notch or depressed seat 23, having an abrupt front end and an inclined back, the pins at the top and bottom of the bar 19 being designed to snap into the seats or notches at the -front of the grooves and arrest further outward movement of the bar, thereby to prevent entire disconnection course projected in front of the cabinet and the box or receptacle is also clear of the front end of the cabinet,=whereby said box may be swung in opposite directions upon -its hinged support to give access to both sides of the box. back wall of the notches -or seats at the top and bottom of the cabinet the respective pins 21 will automatically snap into said seats when the box is being drawn outward and will also yield under inward pressure upon the box to permit of the latter being returned to the cabinet without manual manipulation of the pins. y

1t will of course be. understood that the tiling boxes or receptacles 5 are Hush with or within the front edge of the cabinet when pushed thereinto in order that the door or cover 2 may be closed flat againstthe front of the cabinet, and thereby prevent the in-` gress of dust, &c., into the boxes.

As vherei'nbeforeindicated, the pockets'or compartments are successively numbered in each box and also throughout the series of boxes` and to facilitate the' location of any predetermined pocket the front edge ofeach box is provided with av key to the numbers of the pockets contained therein, including numbers of the firstl and last compartments or pockets in the bx. f-

r1`he charge-slips or other loose leaves are of course filed alphabetically; beginning with the tirst box at the left of the cabinet, and the door or cover of the front of the cabinet is cm ployed to carry anindex to the loose leaves contained in the boxesur lin this connection an index member 24 (shown in Figs. 1 and 4 y ofthe drawings) and in the nature of a plate *or leaf is applied to the inner side of the door or cover and. is provided with two or more columns of transverse pockets 25, each of which is provided in its outer side with a longitudinal slot 26 and is open at its outer end for the introduction of a slip of paper or card bearing a name. These index-pockets -are successively numbered, as indicated in Fig. V1, in accordance with the number of the pockets or compartments in the series of leboxes,

and by placing the name-slips in the indexthe box containing compartment No. 224 may be readily located, which in the present inf stance is the last box at the right-hand end of the series, and upon drawing out thls box access may be conveniently had tothe compart- I l ment No. 224 for removing one or more loose leaves therefrom. Hpwever, if only the total By reason of the inclined bottom .or

amount of the account isv required vthis may v be readily determined through the opening 13 in the lower right-hand corner of the pocket without removing any of the loose leaves from the pocket.` It will here be explained that the last charge-slip should be at the front of the pocket in order that the total amount of the account will always be displayed through the'opening 13. If a single index member 24 is not suiiicient for the total number of fileboxes, a plurality of such index members may be employed andhinged or pivoted to thel door or cover 2 in order that they may be vsuccessively turned for access thereto.

1n connection with the present form of index it is proposed to employ a plurality of index-strips, one of which nas been shown at 27 in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Each strip is divided into a succession of cards or slips by parallel perforate or weakened'lines 28, and upon the left-hand end portion of each slipis printed in bold-face type an initial letter, it of course being understood that thefsame letter is employed throughout the slips of one strip and there being av strip for each letter of the alphabet. By this means whenever it is desired to index a name a slip is torn from the proper stripand the name filled out thereon, as sho-wn in Fig. 5, whereupon the slip is introduced into the pocket of the index corresponding in number to a predetermined pocket or compartment in. one of the fileboxes. When any compartment of the fiieboxes is to be employed for another party, the original index-slip is removed and a new slip substituted therefor,wherefore thereis no cancellation nor erasing of" the original index, and thus the index remains intact and is not marred nor defaced by the continuous changes occurring in the filing of the loose leaves or charge-slips in the respective file-boxes.

As best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the opening 9 in the top of each pocket of the filing box or receptacle is disposed somewhat below the upper extremity of the pocket, whereby the front wall of the y pocket abovethe opening constitutes a guardflange 9' to overlap the ltops of the slips in the pocket, and thereby prevent said slips from bein gaccid en tall y projected through the opening and merely displaced by the movements of the box or receptacle in and out of the cabinet.

Y It will here be explained that the top edge of the upper hinge member 18 runsin the adjacent groove 3, while the lower edge of the' l In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawings there has been shown another embodiment of means for limiting the outward sliding movement of the hinges, wherein the swinging member'l 17 of the hinge is substantially the same as that ofv the previously-described form, while the other member of the hinge, which works in the groove, consists of spring members 188L and 18h, which are connected at their forward ends byan eye 30 to receive the pintle 20,- the free ends of the spring-sections being provided with external enlargements or 'bosses 31, which travel in the groove 4 and are capable of swinging laterally outward and snapping into the seats or notches 32 in opposite sides of the groove, thereby to limit the outward or forward movement of the hinge. In this form rof hinge the-forward open end of the groove 4 is enlarged or iiared, as indicated at 33, so as to produce inwardly-converged guide-faces against which the enlargements 31 engage and are pressed together so as to enter the groove 4 when the hinge is being originally fitted to the groove. The space between the inner ends of the converged faces 33 is somewhat less than the width of the groove 4, and the front ends ofv the seats or recesses 32 preferably terminate at the inner ends of the inclined walls 33 of the groove, whereby the enlarge ments -31 are prevented from being accidentally pulled out-of the groove. g From the foregoing description it will be understood that all of the parts of the present device are carried by the cabinet, and therefore cannot become lost or misplaced, while at the same time the several parts are compactly arranged, so as to give convenient access to each part. Moreover, during the intervals between business hours the door 2 may be closed, so as to prevent accumulation of dust upon the file-boxes and the contents thereof, as well as upon the index, while atl the same time all parts of the device are conveniently accessible when the door is open.

Through the medium of the slidable and swinging connection between each file-box and the cabinet when the box has been drawn out and it is desired to have reference to the box within a short time the box may remain out of the cabinet without the usual liability of it being carriedotf by some other party.

Having fully described the invention, what is claimed is- 1. A ling-cabinet comprising a cabinetbody having a groove therein and provided with a notch at its outer end, a slidable member working in the groove and provided with a yieldable part valso working in said groove p 'to snap intothe notch and limit the outward movement of the slidable member, and a filingbox hinged to the slidable memberi 2. A filing-cabinet comprising a cabinethaving a notch at its outer end, slidable members having spring-pressed parts working in the respective grooves to snap into. the notches thereof, and a tiling-box hinged to the slidable members and provided upon opposite ends with'projections working in the respective grooves,.said projections being disengaged from the grooves at the outer limit of the slidable member to permitswinging movements of the filing-box.

3. In a filing-cabinet, the combination with a cabinet-body having a door therefor, of a series of filing-boxes contained therein and capable of being'withdrawn therefrom for access thereto, each box being divided into a plurality of compartments which are successively designated and also provided with a key to the designations of its compartments, and an index carried by the door and having blank name-receiving spaces designated successively in accordance with the 'designations of the compartments of the filing-boxes.

4. In a filing-cabinet, the combination of a 'cabinet-body having a door, a series of filingboxes contained Within the cabinet and capable of being withdrawn therefrom for access thereto, each box being provided with successivelydesignated compartments and having a key to said designations, and an index carried by the door and provided with pockets' for the reception of index-slips, said pock` ets having 'openings to expose the data on the -slips and also successively designated in aclpartments of the ilig-boxes.

cordance with the designations of the com- 5; In a filing-cabinet, the'combination with a cabinet-body having an open front and provided with opposite internal guideways, of a series of filinglboxes slidab'ly engaging the respective guideways and capable of being swung in opposite directions at their outer limits to give access to the opposite sides of the boxeseach box being divided intoa plurality of compartments having openings for access thereto, the compartments being successively numbered from-one end to the other of the series of boxes, a hinged door for the open front of the cabinet-body, and an index carried by the inner side of the door and comi prising a series of pockets for the reception of index-slips and provided with openings to expose such slips` the index-pockets being successively numbered in accordance with the numbering of the compartments of the filingboxesf In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have hereto aiixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

EBEN MCLANE. f

WILLIAM C. MORRON. CHARLES F. BRIGGS'. HAL H. WRIGHT. Witnesses:

C. B. KENTY,

MOORE.v 

